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A Higher-Tech Hog: USAF A-10C Upgraded, Refurbished, Unloved – But More in Demand

Aug 23, 2019 04:58 UTC by Defense Industry Daily staff

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A-10 Cockpit View over Arizona

August 23/19: Wing Replacements Boeing won a $999 million ceiling contract for A-10 wing replacements. The deal is for up to 112 new A-10 wing assemblies and up to 15 wing kits. Boeing is teaming up with Korean Aerospace Industries for the effort. The news comes after the recent completion of Boeing’s first re-winging contract, awarded to the aerospace company in 2007. Only 109 A-10s still need to be re-winged. The planes, which entered service in 1976 and have deployed to the Middle East, Europe and the Pacific, have played an outsized role in the air campaign that began in 2014 against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, helping provide close-air support for Iraqi and US partner forces on the ground. Also dubbed the “Warthog” for its aggressive look and often painted with teeth on the nose cone, the A-10 Thunderbolt II is the US Air Force’s primary low-altitude close air support aircraft. Boeing will perform work under the nearly $1 billion contract at multiple subcontractor locations in the US and South Korea. Estimated completion date is August 23, 2030.

The above update is a recent abstract from our full article, itself part of our subscription offering. Keep reading to know more.

A-10A over Germany
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The Precision Engagement modification is the largest single upgrade effort ever undertaken for the USA’s unique A-10 “Warthog” close air support aircraft fleet. While existing A/OA-10 aircraft continue to outperform technology-packed rivals on the battlefield, this set of upgrades is expected to make them more flexible, and help keep the aircraft current until the fleet’s planned phase-out in 2028. When complete, A-10C PE will give USAF A-10s precision strike capability sooner than planned, combining multiple upgrades into 1 time and money-saving program, rather than executing them as standalone projects. Indeed, the USAF accelerated the PE program by 9 months as a result of its experiences in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

This is DID’s FOCUS Article for the PE program, and for other modifications to the A-10 fleet. It covers the A-10’s battlefield performance and advantages, the elements of the PE program, other planned modifications, related refurbishment efforts to keep the fleet in the air, and the contracts that have been issued each step of the way.

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